I have come to the conclusion that pregnancy can make you a CRAZY researcher. I first had this revelation when it came time to select a crib. You would think choosing a crib would be an easy decision. I mean how many different options can there be? Let me tell you, there are a lot! After making sure you know all the safety requirements your crib should have, then comes the issue of size. While there are lots of great options out there that convert into full sized beds, having two of these large cribs in one baby nursery was not going to work. Oh, and lastly, you need to choose a style.

Of course, some of the natural wood or grey stain cribs I fell in love with were way outside our budget so I proceeded to spend the next two weeks scouring the internet for every crib and deal out there (I do not recommend this). I am normally very level-headed, but poor Austin and my mom must have heard me describe my crib dilemma 50 times. One night Austin told me, in the most patient way possible, that our babies needed to have somewhere to sleep and at the end of the day, this would only be their bed for a few short years.

That seemed to give me a bit of clarity, and I finally decided on the white Kendall Convertible Crib from Pottery Barn Kids. PB Kids has quality, sturdy furniture so I knew that I would not need to worry about safety. I liked that it is 11 inches off the floor, so there is plenty of room to store supplies under it. The simple, bright clean lines of the crib paired well with my vision for the nursery. Lastly, I got a great deal on it (under $300)…almost 50% off! PB Kids has fantastic sales so if the item you have your eye on is not on sale, I would hold off on buying it, if you do not need it immediately. Also, PB Kids offers a 15% discount when you sign up for their email list, which is a great way to see their sales and new products. We decided to put them together on election night so we had the news playing on both our computers in the nursery and set to work building the cribs. They were surprisingly easy to assemble, and I love the finished product!

Height: Make sure you are able to reach into the crib to easily lift your baby in and out. Drop-side rail cribs were banned in 2011, so you no longer have the option to lower the side of the crib. If you are on the shorter side, the Kendall crib comes in a low-profile version. Babyletto also has some low-profile cribs.

Lowering Feature: You want to find a crib that easily allows you to adjust the mattress height so that as your baby grows and starts to stand, you do not need to worry about them falling out of the crib. Some cribs adjust more easily than others.

Slats: The slats of the crib should not be any wider than 2 3/8 inches apart to keep your baby from getting stuck.

Teething Rail Cover: It is inevitable that teething babies are going to chew on their crib. The side rail seems to be the chew toy of choice. I recommend looking for cribs that have a clear rail cover, otherwise you will most likely have sweet little bite marks covering the rails.

Convertible options: Cribs now can turn into toddler, twin and even full-size beds! In theory this is a great option, but if you are planning to have more children, you may need to continue to use the crib as a crib. Some of the convertible options are beautiful, but do take up a significant amount of space so I recommend measuring everything out in the nursery (including height) before making any purchase.

Crib Mattress: Make sure the mattress fits tightly into the crib and there are no gaps for your baby’s arms to slip through. We found some great mattresses through Amazon that are less than $100 and have a firm side for when they are infants and softer side for when you convert the crib to a toddler bed.